The Afghan Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist group that was created in 1994 and ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when the United States toppled them (but have since regrouped under new leadership). Nationalist in ambitions, but maintaining a key role in global jihad due to the influence of its “Emir of the Believers,” the group fights ISAF and Afghan forces, kidnaps foreign nationals for prisoner swaps, and engages in political negotiations. (Read more...)